Hundreds turn up for Maad Yatra

22 Feb 201605:39am IST

22 Feb 201605:39am IST

Report byTeam Herald

PERNEM: The Maad Yatra call given by Fatorda legislator Vijai Sardessai on Sunday tuned out to be a virtual show of strength for the newly launched Goa Forward with hundreds of people participating in the rally.

PERNEM: The Maad Yatra call given by Fatorda legislator Vijai Sardessai on Sunday tuned out to be a virtual show of strength for the newly launched Goa Forward with hundreds of people participating in the rally.

People started converging at Don Khambe at Dhargal, which choked the NH17 for nearly an hour with hundreds of vehicles lined up on both sides.

Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar had challenged the protesters to come in his constituency and they picked up the gauntlet.

The rally, led by Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardessai, Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte and Congress leader Babu Azgaonkar, wended its way from NH17 to Tuem and Virnoda villages in Mandrem constituency before joining the national highway again.

The rally culminated in a public meeting at Bhagvati temple in Pernem where hundreds of supporters were already waiting for the protesters to arrive.

This again caused huge traffic jam in the narrow roads of Pernem.

The Congress had issued a diktat for its members to boycott the rally, understandably as per instruction of their leader Chella Kumar. However, it was shocking to see hundreds of Congress members joining the rally with the Congress flags and caps.

What was even more surprising was that the people braved the scorching sun and the hot and sultry weather to listen to the speeches, which lasted for over two hours.

At the rally, leaders after leaders unleashed their tirade against the ruling dispensation of declassifying the coconut tree as a palm.

“Almost everything has become vermin to this Goa government, first it was the maad (coconut tree), now it is the peacock and the bison and who knows in future they might even call me Vijay and Naresh Sawal also vermin as we are opposing them,” stated Porvorim MLA Khaunte.

He said be it Sanguem, Vanxim or Tiracol they are out to finish the environment.

“Besides taking U-turns the government has done nothing” he said.

Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardessai said, “Goenkarponn is in the coconut tree, even the kids would know but this teacher Parsekar won’t.”

“In the name of Parivartan even the monkeys have become ministers,” he said.

He said this is not an election rally but a wake-up call to all Goans who are in deep slumber.

“Parsekar is threatening people for protesting on DefExpo and putting them behind bars. I would like to ask him. Is the land which is gifted to Defence his father’s property that he is threatening people?” he asked.

Sardessai also took a dig at the Congress for issuing a diktat for the members to boycott rally, “good the people of Goa taught the Congress a lesson four years ago, but sadly they haven’t learned any.”

Former Sports Minister and MLA Babu Azgaonkar questioned the U-turns of the BJP. “Four years ago they promised acche din. Where is the acche din?” he asked.

“Parrikar talked of recovering Rs 35,000 cr mining scam money, moving out the casinos, Regional plan, but what happened. He has just fooled the people,” he said.